Chapter Twenty

VEN

As I lay inside Emmy, I tried to piece myself together. I had good sex before but this was practically indescribable. Amazing? Mind-blowing? Unbelievable? The correct words didn’t exist. I should have known things would be different with Emmy. She was unlike every other woman I had ever been with.

I wondered if my feelings could intensify the sensations of sex. Even though it was her first time, I hoped she thought it was special. I realized I felt something different. Did I love her?

The realization shocked me, but I knew it was true the moment it passed through my mind. I covered her face with kisses, whispering it over and over.

I loved this woman, and I would do anything for her.

We fell asleep twisted together. Her forehead was on my cheek. Neither of us spoke another word, not wanting to break the intimate spell of the night. I woke up hours later, feeling terrific. Emmy was already awake.

All I wanted to do with my morning erection was turn her around and fuck her again. But she might be sore. The cream had worn off by now.

The atmosphere seemed less romantic in the daytime, as well. We were in some catacombs, under a mountain on a foreign planet, racing to get a stupid ladle before someone else did.

I hoped she was right about this ladle, and it could heal people who were going to die. That was Emmy’s reason for being here.

Another reason was more important to me. I looked down at my reason as her eyes locked with me. We stared at each other for a long time before Emmy averted her gaze and untangled herself from my body.

We took turns washing up and getting dressed in the bathroom. She didn’t say said a word the entire time. As the silence stretched, I became afraid to say anything. Would she tell me it was terrible? Would she want to divorce me immediately because of a violation of the TerraMates agreement?

I might be able to raise an objection on that one. She begged me to make love to her, but I suppose there weren’t any witnesses. I decided to stop being a coward when we were both dressed.

My voice sounded tentative, even to myself. “Emmy?”

“Ven, let’s not ruin anything,” she blurted out.

I walked over to her with fear in my heart. “Emmy.” I lifted her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Last night was fantastic. I’ve never experienced anything like what we had between us.”

She nodded, looking relieved.

I paused. I didn’t want to make her say anything if she wasn't ready, but I wanted to know if she was upset. I hoped she wouldn’t say our relationship was over before it had a chance to begin.

“I don’t know what to say or what to do.” She trailed off, clenching her hands helplessly.

“You didn’t...I mean, did you...enjoy it?” I had to ask. I had to know what it felt like for her. I was as careful as I could be. Everyone said a girl’s first time wasn’t her favorite sexual experience, and Emmy was a little girl from Earth.

“Oh, Ven.” She turned away, her face bright red.

My heart dropped into my stomach, and I started babbling. “You didn’t then? You know, they say the first time isn’t going to be the best. Consider it a practice run. I’m sure you’ll like it more the next time.”

Shit.

“Shut up. I liked it, okay? Like isn’t a strong enough word. I have never felt like that before, and I can’t stop thinking about it, even though I’m not sure if we can do it again.”

“What’s the problem?” I asked, relief flooding my body.

“I don’t know. Doesn’t it make me a slut to have enjoyed it so much?”

“Emmy, women enjoy sex as much as men. It’s part of the magic of being a couple. Sex is sometimes the glue that holds a relationship together or the band-aid that fixes things when you hurt each other. It’s a way to connect on a deeper level with your partner. Don’t talk about yourself that way or cheapen our time together.”

I frowned, upset that she thought we had done something wrong when it felt right.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do with myself today. We should go. With the amount of terrain we have to cover, we need to get moving.”

“Agreed.” Any conversations about our future together could wait until we knew we were going to have a future.

EMMY

After Ven had dismantled his alarm system, I led the way back into the passage. I walked gingerly because every step reminded me I had an ache between my thighs. I hadn’t realized being sore could feel good. Every shift of my body was a painful reminder of everything we did last night.

I was still surprised at how good it felt. I hadn’t expected sex to be like that. It has always seemed strange to me. But when I was in the midst of passion, everything was different.

I understood that now, but I didn’t understand my feelings. I was happy, perhaps even blissful. My body still wanted him. Even though I knew fucking him wouldn’t be pleasant until my sex healed, I hungered for him.

But I was confused.

Did he really whisper he loved me? I wondered if the words came from his heart or if it was the kind of thoughtless, stupid phrase that would come out of an Earth man’s mouth after sex. I thought I didn’t want a man or need a partner. Ven was making me question myself.

Did I love him? I had a plan for my life, and Ven wasn’t part of it.

It might not matter if I was going to die here, in these passages, impaled on a spike.

We had traveled for about an hour before I spotted signs indicating a pan-jee trap in the floor ahead. Markings on the floor suggested danger, and when we stepped on them, we avoided springing the trap. We evaded two more before we stopped for a break, sitting side by side on the stone floor, leaning against the wall.

Ven took my hand. It felt so nice that I didn’t say anything.

VEN

“According to my calculations, we should be three-quarters of the way there by now. We’re approaching the region of more sophisticated protections.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. What else is there?”

“Soon we’re going to encounter an army of stone soldiers armed with functional, deadly crossbows. And there’s supposed to be hematite powder. It’s a metallic dust that’s sharp on the molecular level and will cause a painful death if you inhale enough. Imagine having your lungs sliced to pieces.”

She pulled two masks from a pocket in her pants and handed one to me. “If you see any white dust, put this on immediately, unless you want to die a slow death.”

I took the mask and put it in my pocket. “Thanks. I prefer living.”

We walked on in silence, each of us privately thinking until we came to a spot where the passage narrowed. At the end of the tunnel was an immense underground field covered in life-like statues.

“The stone soldiers.” Emmy was barely breathing, and her eyes sparkled. “They’re real.”

As I stared at the evidence of the ingenuity of the ancients, I briefly understood Emmy’s attraction to this field of study. I imagined what it would be like going to work and looking for the best of people instead of going to work to kill the worst of us all.

Everything about the ladle was like a big puzzle. I enjoyed looking for the signs indicating a trap was nearby. I liked trying to match wits with the people of the past. For a moment, I considered Emmy’s suggestion about getting a degree in archeology, but it was a childish dream.

“How are we going to get across without dying?”

“I don’t know, but it’s even worse than you imagine. Do you see the wires crisscrossing everywhere? I’m sure they are all tripwires, and there are probably ones we can’t see.”

“We can’t walk through there,” I said. “We’ll get ourselves killed. You’re the smart one. Think outside the box. We won’t win if we keep playing their games.”

“What about the metal cable there?” She pointed up to the ceiling.

“It’s probably left over from construction. If I had to guess, they used it to haul away dirt when they were excavating. You could throw another cable over the top, attach a container full of dirt and move it out of the room.”

“That makes sense.” Emmy was thinking. “It took them over a hundred years to complete these catacombs. It wasn’t because of a lack of technology or tools, but because of funding.”

“Of course. Was it a government project?”

She made a face at me. “They would have protected the cable to make it last. The legends say this room took nearly twenty years to build. They wouldn’t have wanted it to deteriorate and endanger the workers. I think it’s safe to say the cable can support some weight.

“So what?”

“It looks like we could slide down the line. On Earth, we have something called a zip line, where you attach a harness to a rope, then slide down.”

Her intelligence intimidated me, but it could also lead to unique ideas.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said, frowning. “I’m being innovative.”

“We don’t call it a zip line on Stalwart, but I’m familiar with the concept. You’re saying we could go over this obstacle, and skip their little game entirely. You have a point, but it sounds dangerous.”

“Do you think it will be more dangerous than going through the stone soldiers?”

“We can’t go through the stone soldiers, Emmy.”

“That’s my point. Even if the zip line approach is unorthodox, it might be our only way forward. It’s brilliant, even if I do say so myself.” She smiled and punched my arm.

“Don’t hurt me. I have to slide down this rope in a minute.” I pulled her into a hug. “If we’re going to do this thing, let’s not waste any time.”

She nodded. “There’s a ladder on either side allowing access to the cable.”

“Wait a minute. The ladder hasn’t been coated with chromate. It’s made of wood.” I was having second and third thoughts about her idea.

“That’s true.” She stood and looked up at the ladder. “But they did use darkwood to construct it, which is both insect and rot-resistant. There are still darkwood houses on Heralla from centuries ago. They look brand-new.”

A short piece of rope appeared in her hands. She must have taken it from her bottomless pockets. She pulled out a knife and cut the rope in half, giving me a piece.

“Is the archeologist in you trying to tell me the ladder isn’t safe?”

“No,” she said. “I’m not saying that at all.”

“I’m glad we agree on something. I’ll go first.”

“Why?”

“You’ve got all the necessary information. If one of us is going to plunge to their death, it should be me. I’m expendable. Also, I weigh more than you.”

Emmy stepped forward and put her hand on the side of my face. “You’re not expendable to me.”

I smiled, and I kissed her, breaking it off before I became overwhelmed with the urge to take her.

“Don’t worry, Professor. I’m not going to die today.”

She nodded but looked more worried than before. I began to climb, testing my weight on each rung before trusting it. The first few feet seemed sturdy. I didn’t look down. I was not afraid of heights, but I knew better than to risk distraction.

All I had to do was keep moving one arm after the other, and suddenly I had almost reached the top. After two more rungs, I would be able to use my rope and slide over certain death into a much safer probable death.

The rung broke, leaving me dangling by one arm forty feet in the air.